THERE is hope that every teenager in Bexley who wants to stay on at school or go to college in September, will now be able to.

Children, Schools and Families Secretary, Ed Balls, has confirmed his department will be putting in £665m between now and 2011 to fund the “September guarantee”.

He has said the cash will enable 1.55m young people, the highest number ever, to stay on in education and training.

His anouncement followed fury in April when a mistake in his department led to a cut in expected funding for post-16 places.

Bexley schools were told they were to get £718,000 less than they were expecting to fund places for teenagers who wanted to stay on.

The 13 of Bexley’s 16 secondary schools which offer post-16 education said they feared they would have axe courses or cut places, or both.

At the time, Bexley Council said the the cut in funding would make it extremely difficult for schools to plan their spending for the coming year and respond to the rising demand for post-16 places.

Now Mr Balls says an extra 72,000 places than predicted in November last year, will be funded.

He said the announcement would reassure school and college leaders their cash allocations would pay for the recent unanticipated surge in numbers of young people wanting to continue in education.

Bexley’s cabinet member for schools, Councillor Simon Windle said: “I am pleased to read the Government has found additional funds and reiterated its promise that ‘every learner who wants one is offered a place’.”

But he warned: “However, the true picture will only be known after GCSE results are published in August and places allocated. “ He said Bexley has a relatively low number of children not in education, employment or training (NEET) but added: “We are determined to keep this figure as low as possible despite the worsening economic situation.”